This was why the Ducks were so eager to acquire Ryan Kesler from Vancouver last season and pursued him again in June: to win games like their 3-2 overtime decision over the Kings on Wednesday and the other four games they won from the Kings in the rivals'...

SAN JOSE, Calif. It's still too early to say that one defeat can be devastating for the San Jose Sharks' playoff hopes.
But San Jose dug itself an even deeper hole Saturday night after jumping out to a two-goal lead, then making the kind of mistakes it...

Nick Bonino has provided important intel to the Vancouver Canucks this season, contributing to scouting reports that have helped his new team get four points in three games against his ex-team, NHL points leader Anaheim.
“The first game,...

Those occupying the middle ground when it comes to former Vancouver Canucks and current Ducks center Ryan Kesler probably won't be seen, and likely won't be heard, when it comes to his reception Thursday night at Rogers Arena.
Here, he is about as...

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Vancouver Canucks defenseman Luca Sbisa shook off a game to forget and had a much better performance against the road-weary Washington Capitals.
Sbisa was a minus-5 in Vancouver's four-goal loss to Colorado on Friday. He bounced back two nights later and scored his first goal with the Canucks in a 4-2 victory over the Capitals on Sunday.
"That was a rough night," Sbisa said of the Colorado loss. "I didn't have the best sleep after that. I'm not going to lie,...

Ryan Kesler battles fiercely with opponents he doesn't especially know.
So imagine Sunday night, when the Ducks center will line up against a slew of friends wearing the same colors of the Vancouver Canucks that were his colors earlier this year, and for 10 seasons before that.
"Obviously, I want to have success against that team," Kesler said Saturday on the eve of what will be an early contest for the Pacific Division lead.
"[I've] got friends over there, and I'm competitive with my friends, so...

Asked his level of surprise at how well former Ducks center Nick Bonino has played with the Vancouver Canucks, Ducks Coach Bruce Boudreau said, “None."
“You guys knew I thought he was a good player … he’s turned out to be a real good player.”
Following a 22-goal, 49-point breakthrough campaign with Anaheim last season, Bonino has seven goals and 12 points for the Canucks (10-5), who can tie the Ducks (10-3-2) for the Pacific Division lead by beating them tonight at Honda...

It's a new home, a new team and a new way of arriving at the rink for the Ducks' Ryan Kesler.
"I'm ready to get going, excited about this new chapter in my life," Kesler said. "Found a place overlooking the ocean, the kids are in school . . . waking up and seeing the ocean, walking to the rink in flip-flops in December."
But enough with the flip-flops.
The 30-year-old center, a former Selke Trophy winner who led the Vancouver Canucks to the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, knows what is ahead for him and the...

The Anaheim Ducks acquired center Ryan Kesler in a trade from the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.
In exchange for Kesler, the Ducks sent the Canucks forward Nick Bonino, defenseman Luca Sbisa and the No. 24 pick in the 2014 draft, which begins with the first round Friday night.
As part of the trade, the Ducks also traded their third-round pick in 2014 (No. 85) and receive the Canucks' third-round pick in 2015.
The Canucks already own the No. 6 pick in this year's draft.
"This trade reinforces our...

Timed perfectly, new Ducks center Ryan Kesler will make his preseason debut Thursday night at Staples Center against the Kings, the team he was acquired to help topple.
"Been awhile since I played in my last game," Kesler said in reference to a final regular-season game with his former team, the Vancouver Canucks, in April.
After falling to the eventual Stanley Cup-champion Kings in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals in May, the Ducks landed former Selke Trophy winner Kesler in exchange for...

DALLAS — It's taken them longer than they wanted, but the Ducks have found a formula to beat the fast, physical Dallas Stars.
Now it's just a matter of proving it translates to the enemy ground of American Airlines Center.
"You want to finish it here. That's our mind-set," Ducks forward Corey Perry said Saturday.
Friday's 6-2 victory in Anaheim gave the Western Conference top-seeded Ducks a 3-2 lead in the first-round playoff series with Game 6 Sunday in Dallas, where both of the Ducks' losses...